


Chaos is a friend of mine

by orphan_account



Category: Crankiplier- Fandom, Markiplier- Fandom, crankgameplays- fandom
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Cowboy AU, Crying, Cuddling & Snuggling, Death, Fluff, I just really think they’re cute okay, M/M, Mutual Pining, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, Wild West AU, basic Wild West fighting and shit, outlaw!mark, rich boy!ethan, slowburn, they don't die though
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-26
Updated: 2020-04-30
Packaged: 2021-03-02 04:07:28
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 4
Words: 5,517
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23858821
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: Ethan was born in a very wealthy household during the Wild West era. Which made him a target for robberies. He knew that, but he always thought he'd be safe. That he'd never have to worry. That is until he meets John. The leader of a popular gang in Rubyville. Standing in his home. Luckily for Ethan, an outlaw by the name of Mark just so happened to be looking for John.akaMark and Ethan be gay and cute but in the Wild West.
Relationships: Crankiplier, Mark Fischbach/Ethan Nestor, Markiplier/CrankGameplays
Comments: 11
Kudos: 48





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Bruh I'm gonna be honest I've never written a fanfic before. Feel free to critique my writing, but just know I'm not very experienced. Also some characters will have made up names same with locations. I just thought a cowboy au would be cute. I fully respect Ethan and Mark and I know they have girlfriends. This is just for fun. Sorry if they don't seem like themselves in this fic I'm trying my best.

The year was 1870 and Ethan couldn’t be happier. It was his 23rd birthday and his mother had woken him up with a wonderful “surprise”. A peach pie. Even though she had made him a pie every birthday he was still very grateful.

“Thanks, mama” He gave her a wide grin and started digging into the pie on his plate.

When he finished he could see his mother looking at him, arms crossed. “Why must you be a sloppy eater Ethan? Look at you, you got crust all over your face” She sighed, Ethan could see a faint smile appear on her lips as she brought the handkerchief up to his face, wiping away the leftover pie.

He thanked her and asked a very simple, but nerve-racking question.  
“Is dad here?”

The small smile on his mother's face disappeared.  
“I’m sorry Ethan, he uh had work to deal with. I wish he could’ve been here for your birthday.”  
Tears filled Ethan’s eyes as he tried not to think about the number of birthdays his dad has missed. Or just major life events in general.  
“Why don’t you go into town?” She gave him a little pat on the shoulder. “It’d do you some good to get out of the house.”

Ethan sighed and got out of bed, walking over to his closet and picking out an embroidered vest he got for his 18th birthday. Picking out the rest of the essentials he had finally finished his outfit. Of course, his mother had left a while ago, giving Ethan his space.  
He couldn’t help but feel sad, but he knew how much his dad worked, and how stressed he was. Even if his dad never told him what his job was. That didn’t matter. His family was well off and had one of the more expensive homes in Rubyville. He was grateful.

After walking around town a bit he began to daydream. Specifically about his future. His dad had said he could stay at the house as long as he needed, but Ethan wanted to explore. He wanted to explore the world. Sometimes he wished he was an outlaw. Living off the land and having a group you trust more than anything. Friends that are there for you through thick and thin. The only friends Ethan had were ones that were trying to cozy up to him to get his father's money. Ethan knew that was a silly thought though. He knew that being an outlaw was a dangerous life, but he couldn't help but think. If he was an outlaw, would he be able to get the partner he always dreamed of?

Ethan never quite understood girls growing up. He didn't get how people thought they were attractive. He could never tell anyone that though. He would've been hanged. It's not something he could control, so he's never told anyone his secret. Not even his parents.

Ethan sat on a bench. Fiddling with his thumbs as he looked around the area he was sitting. He spotted a movement on top of the roof across from him.

 _Hmm that’s strange,_ he thought, but he couldn't stop staring. That's when a head popped out from behind the roof. A man, wearing a worn-out hat and a curious look on his face, stopped once he saw Ethan. He looked at Ethan with his deep brown eyes, silently put a finger to his lips, and Ethan got the message. He looked away, slightly embarrassed as a blush was creeping up his face. 

_Man, that guy was hot. He had the prettiest eyes I've ever seen. Not to mention his muscular figure. That man was buff as hell._ Ethan thought, the warmth still radiating off of his cheeks. He shook away those thoughts. He needed to get over guys if he ever wanted to live somewhat happy with his future wife. 

He decided it was time to head home. Still confused about the man he saw, but he tried to forget about him. He was humming. Genuinely having a good day even if his dad wasn’t there to see it. He had been so distracted that he didn’t realize he was at his destination. Something seemed.. off. The door was slightly open, and everything was silent. Which was not normal for the Nestor household. He walked in, trying to be as quiet as a mouse.

That’s when he saw the blood.

Everywhere. Blood was everywhere. He gagged at the smell of what he assumed was death. Ethan glanced over, spotting the bodies. His family. All with gashes in their necks. There was clearly a sign of struggle as broken glass was all over the floor. Suddenly, that pie he had for breakfast was not sitting well in his stomach, he felt as though he was going to vomit.

He heard a crunch sound behind him. Although it was too late. He was knocked to the ground. Something pressed against the back of his head. He dared not move.

A man spoke, not to him, but to his friend that had apparently been behind him as well.  
“What do we do with him, John? I assume he’s a Nestor with the way he was staring at them bodies” The man laughed, but it was more of a sinister laugh than anything. The laugh was hollow and dark.

Ethan shivered.

His friend gave a chuckle, “Well Thomas we might as well keep him. I’m sure we could sell him off to the highest bidder. Or bring him back to camp and let the gang have their way with him”  
The man apparently named Thomas paused.  
He then finally spoke “Alright.”

And with one swift movement Thomas took the gun he was holding against Ethan’s head and whacked him with it. Ethan’s vision was blurry and he was in immense pain.

He finally closed his eyes accepting his fate.


	2. Chapter 2

**Mark’s pov**

Mark and his group had been working for a couple days to try and catch John and his gang. John had attacked their camp and stolen a LOT of their supplies, and Mark wasn’t gonna let them get away with it. He’d been tracking their every move and was waiting for the perfect moment to attack. Which happened to be soon. He couldn’t help but think of the guy he saw earlier, and how nervous he seemed. He felt guilty when he saw him walking towards the house they’ve been stalking for the past hour. Mark knew his family most likely didn’t survive. He kept thinking if he had walked in earlier and killed John, then that man would still have his family right now. Mark knew there was no point in having thoughts like that though. He had a job to do.

Amy chuckled, “You done daydreaming, Mark?”

Mark blinked and looked at her. “Yeah, yeah, sorry. Just thinking about our plan. They should be coming out of that house soon.” He pointed at one of the bigger houses on the street. No wonder John picked that house to rob.

Amy rolled her eyes and giggled, “Yes Mark, we’ve been watching that house for about an hour now. You don’t need to tell me which house.”

Mark nervously chuckled with her, still keeping an eye on the house. Finally, after what seemed like forever, John and his buddy quickly opened the door. Mark quietly gasped. The man he saw earlier today was unconscious with his hands tied behind his back. Mark wasn’t necessarily shocked he was being kidnapped, more so they didn’t kill him. They must’ve been planning to do some terrible shit to him.

“They kept him alive?” Amy spoke in a hushed whisper.

“Seems so,” he responded, just as quiet.

“Well, we better get a move on before we lose sight of em,” Amy grabbed her gun and slung it over her back.

**Ethan's pov**

He woke up. Ethan didn’t know where he was. All he knew was that he couldn’t move and his heart couldn’t stop beating. His memories finally came back to him.

He was in danger.

Even if he wasn’t dead, he might soon be if he didn’t act fast. Ethan looked around, trying to get a hold of his surroundings. It looked like he was in a wagon. Ethan could hear mumbles outside. He shuffled closer to the conversation, trying not to make any noise.

“We need to be careful, I have a strange feeling in my gut.” One man said, trying to keep his voice low.

“Oh, we’ll be fine. Quit worrying you’re being silly.” A feminine voice spoke. She chuckled a bit before suddenly, a loud booming sound was heard.

Ethan could hear a thud against the ground outside. A voice he recognized, maybe Thomas?, yelled, “Take cover!”

This was Ethan’s chance. Ethan wrestled with the knots tying his hands together. He figured he’d try to escape since everyone’s distracted. He kept hearing shots. Hoping that the people attacking the camp would be on his side, and he wouldn’t have to attempt to fight them as well. After enough struggling, he finally got his hands free and started untying the rope around his ankles. He didn’t know what to do. He didn’t have a plan, he just wanted to get the hell out of there. The boy decided to jump out of the wagon and hide behind a tree to collect his thoughts. Ethan scanned the area around him, looking for the source of the loud noises. He was shocked, It was the man he saw on the roof. Ethan watched him. Everyone in the camp seemed to be dead. Except for John, the man who killed his family.

Ethan felt rage. Pure anger.

He looked around trying to find a weapon, spotting a Bowie knife on the ground next to one of the fallen bodies. He quickly grabbed it and inched his way closer and closer to John from behind the trees.

Ethan stopped when John spoke, “Please Mark you don’t have to do this. Please just let me go. I'm begging you.”

“You're pathetic.” Mark scoffed, “You have the nerve to steal most of our supplies then beg for mercy? That’s not how it works around here.”

“Please Mark, You’re an outlaw too! We can work together. We could take down the whole city if we wanted to.” John was practically trembling.

Ethan was getting tired of this conversation. He just wanted to attack John and get it over with. He made a bold, yet stupid decision. He ran from behind the trees and made his way towards John, knife in hand. Ethan pushed him on the ground, John tried to grab the knife. “You son of a bitch” was all Ethan could say as he stabbed John in his leg, but before he could do more he felt the tug of someone grabbing his arm. Ethan fell back and John escaped from underneath him, trying to get away as fast as one could with a limp. “What the hell was that for?” Ethan turned around and yelled at the handsome man who previously grabbed his arm. Ethan saw the man, apparently named Mark, flinch, and then instead of pure rage he felt guilty.

A frown forming on his face. “I’m sorry I didn’t mean to yell I just- I was so mad,” Ethan said, feeling ashamed. He looked behind him, John was long gone. “Dammit, the bastard is gone.” He felt his anger returning but tried to keep it under control.

“You did good out there. Stabbed the bastard right in the leg.” Mark chuckled, putting his gun in his holster. “Say, what's your name?”

Ethan fumbled over his words “Oh uh, my name’s Ethan” His face was heating up again. He looked down and scratched the back of his neck awkwardly.

“No need to be so shy Ethan. You want that son of a bitch dead as much as I do.” Mark gave him a smile. He looked down at Ethan’s arm, frowning slightly. “We outta clean that up before it gets infected.” Ethan was confused, his eyes traveling to the gash on his bicep. He had been so pumped with adrenaline he didn’t even notice the aching he felt. “We gotta get the supplies back from this camp but once that’s finished would you like to join us?” Mark asked. Ethan swore he heard a hint of nervousness, but he figured that was just his imagination.

“Us?” He questioned, looking around not seeing anyone but Mark.

“Oh hold on. Amy!” He yelled. “You can come out now!”

A woman about 5’4 with shoulder-length brown hair stepped out of a tent, holding two bags in her hands. She had a gigantic smile on her face. “Looks like we’ll be able to get by pretty damn well during winter Mark,” She shoved one of the bags in his hands and Mark peered inside.

“Holy shit.” The man mumbled.

“What’s in the bag?” Ethan sensed he already knew but asked anyway. “Well... I assume this was from your family's house. There’s no way in hell John saved any riches from his other robberies. He’s quite a spender.” Mark nervously laughed.

Ethan just sighed, but had a slight smile on his face, “Can I at least have some of what’s in there just in case you decide to abandon me?”

“Hey listen we’re not just gonna abandon you in the middle of the woods It’s cold and you probably don’t know how to hunt and what if you get hurt then I’d be responsible, we can’t just take your riches and go…” Mark just continued rambling about how Ethan could get hurt in the woods, he just giggled.

“Are you laughing at me?” Mark said, embarrassed, as his face was turning red. “No no I’m not laughing I just don’t know why you’re so worried” Ethan continued giggling. Mark just looked at Amy who was stifling a laugh. Mark sighed, face still as red as a tomato, “Well, we should probably head back to camp. I’ll gather the rest of the supplies and get Chica ready for travel.” He walked away, grabbing some things as he went, and approached a beautiful white horse.

Ethan lowered his voice so Mark couldn’t listen, “What was that? Why’s he acting weird?” To be fair, Ethan didn’t know how he reacted normally, but he assumed that wasn’t it.

“He’s just nervous is all. Don’t mind him. All you need to know is that you can trust him with your life. He’s saved everyone back at camp at least once.” Amy gave him a small smile. Ethan didn’t understand how he could ever trust an outlaw with his life, but he decided not to argue. They seemed nice enough, but he didn’t want to put his life in danger. Mark called for both of them, saying that they were ready to go. Ethan and Amy walked over to Mark, Ethan’s eyes slightly drooping.

He was exhausted.

“C’mere Ethan I’ll help you up” Mark motioned towards Chica. Ethan put his foot in the stirrup and held onto Mark’s hand so he wouldn’t slip. He swung his leg over the horse and made himself comfortable behind Mark. “Hold onto my waist so you don’t fall. You should sleep while we make our journey back to camp.” Ethan nodded and grabbed his waist. Mark was warm and very comfortable. Once all of them were on their way, Ethan relaxed.

Slipping into a deep sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry Ethans pov takes up most of this chapter :( I promise the next chapter will be mostly mark's thoughts and all that jazz. I hope you guys liked this chapter! If you want me to finish this fanfic please tell me cuz I don't even know if this is good enough to finish sksjdjs I need motivation


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Btw guys if you wanna send requests for crankiplier one shots I can do in between working on this fic, you can send asks to my Tumblr @ ollieisafrog2 . That's where I'm gonna post little snippets of me working on chaos is a friend of mine or Ciafom for short. So if you wanted to check that out you can :) Oh one rule for the one shots: I won't do straight up smut. I'll maybe do some suggestive themes like them making out but writing them doing the do makes me uncomfy. Okay anyways back to the gay.

**Mark’s pov**

Mark felt Ethan fall asleep behind him. His breath steadying against Mark’s back. His cheeks warm-up at the thought of the boy.

“So... what was that all about? When we were at John’s camp.” Amy whispered.

“I have no clue what you’re talking about,” Mark whispered as well, trying to focus on the road.

“Mark I’ve never seen you so nervous before. What? You think he’s cute or something?”

“Shush Amy! He could wake up any second!” Amy just laughed, “First of all, he isn’t waking up for a while. That boy is exhausted. Second of all, I was right, ” She had a very smug expression on her face.

He just awkwardly laughed, “You’re not… disgusted?” Mark stared at the ground. Tears falling down his cheeks. “What? Mark… Of course, I’m not disgusted. You’re one of my closest friends. I know that people these days see that as a crime or something, but when have we ever followed the law?” She smiled widely at him. Mark wiped away his tears and smiled, “Yeah... you’re right.”

“Just for the record, I’m sure everyone at camp has the same mindset as me. They’d rather keep their close friend and ally than toss him aside just 'cause he thinks boys are cute.” She snorted, then slapped her hand on her mouth.

Ethan shuffled, luckily he was still asleep.

Mark whisper yelled, "Damn Amy you tryna give me a heart attack? Just ‘cause you accept me doesn’t mean he will." Amy had a weird look on her face. “Mark… surely you’re not that stupid are you? Look at the way he’s cuddled up to you like nobody's business. You realize most guys would be hesitant to do so, right?”

“Yeah well, that doesn't mean he likes men. He could just be really comfortable with that stuff.” Mark was blushing again. Amy chuckled, “I suppose we’ll just have to wait and see.” A comfortable silence grew around them.

Mark’s thoughts were racing.

_What did Amy mean? Is there really a chance that Ethan likes men? And, if so, would he ever like him? No. No, he shouldn’t get his hopes up._

* * *

After about an hour of travel, they reached the camp. Mark shifted away from Ethan’s grasp and slowly, quietly, dismounted Chica. He looked at the night sky, knowing that it’d make more sense to have Ethan sleep in Mark’s tent tonight. Rather than wake someone up just to find a spare blanket. Amy helped him get Ethan off of the horse and Mark carried him bridal style to his tent. Mark set him down on his cot, but before tucking him in, he cleaned up Ethan’s arms wound. Making sure not to wake the sleeping boy. Once Mark was done, he covered Ethan up in a warm blanket and exited the tent.

He had to talk to Tyler, the leader of the camp.

As he was walking over to Tyler’s tent he felt anxiety pool up in his stomach, though he wasn’t sure why. “Tyler, There’s uh, there’s a newcomer...” Mark said while entering the tent.

“Who? Can we trust 'em?” Tyler had a confused look on his face. “Yeah, I think so… His name’s Ethan. His family was killed by John. He’s sleeping right now, but you should talk to him in the morning. Maybe show him the rules around here?” Mark’s lips formed into a small smile.

Tyler scoffed, but teasingly asked, “Come onnn Mark, why do I gotta show him around? You’re the bastard that brought him with you.”

“Fine, fine I’ll show him around, but only because you’re being a lil bitch about it.” he laughed. Tyler's smile left, leaving only a serious expression, “I know we’re laughing and everything but, did you get the supplies from John’s camp?”

Mark gave a quick nod, “Yeah, we also got enough money to last us all winter, but..”

“But what?”

“John got away.” Mark’s eyes dropped to the floor, staring at his feet. He hated it when Tyler got mad. It was always a wave of silent anger like the rage was radiating off of him.

Surprisingly, all he did was sigh. “Well, that just means we gotta be on guard. Make sure we’re always prepared. Why don’t you go back to your tent? I’ll get the money from Amy.” Mark silently nodded and left, heading back to his tent.

* * *

Although he seemed fairly confident, Mark had his moments. Like right now. He felt so disappointed in himself that John got away.

_But he was trying to save Ethan’s life! If he had wrestled with John for any longer Ethan could’ve gotten badly hurt!_

Mark’s thoughts were clouding his brain. He didn’t even know why he was so protective over Ethan. He just recognized that if that boy got hurt, he could never forgive himself. So he stayed up all night, making sure Ethan was okay.

_You look like a fucking lunatic right now, Mark. If Ethan woke up he’d be freaked out._

As if on queue, Ethan shot up from the cot, holding the sides as if his life depended on it. He was sweating, and his eyes looked wild. Mark tried to keep his calm, but when he spoke he sounded a lot more worried than intended. “Are you alright??”

“Sorry. Nightmare.” Ethan mumbled, looking away from Mark. He had a slight tinge of pink on his cheeks.

_Is he embarrassed?_

“It’s fine, don’t worry! Do you need water? Food? Anything?” Mark cursed himself. His shaky tone giving away how concerned he was. “I’m a lil cold… say, why are you up this late, anyway?” Ethan looked into his eyes.

_Ethan’s eyes are so pretty. They’re like a swirl of greens and blues, perhaps even a lil bit of brown._

“Uhhh… Mark? Ya there?” Ethan gave him a quizzical stare. “Yeah, yeah, sorry. I uh… was up so late making sure you were okay. Plus I gave you the cot so I don’t really have anywhere to sleep.” Mark sheepishly smiled. Ethan had the biggest grin on his face. He looked so happy, but Mark wasn’t sure why. “Well, why don’t we share the cot then? You can’t just stay up all night watching over me. That’s silly.” Ethan scooted over, turning so he was facing the wall. Mark laid down and wrapped his arms around Ethan’s waist. “Sorry,” he mumbled, “got nowhere to put my hands.”

Ethan had already fallen asleep. Mark followed behind soon after.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope y'all like this chapter. I worked hard on it skdjsk. I honestly can't tell if I'm just being mean to myself or if my writing sucks.
> 
> @/ollieisafrog2 on Tumblr

**Ethan's pov**

  
When Ethan woke up, he felt warm and very comfortable. He realized Mark was cuddling him and a wave of embarrassment hit. He sat up, looking at Mark's sleeping face.

_He looks so calm. So rested. Ethan wondered what it’d feel like if he could just reach out and brush his hands through Mark's hair._

Before he could think twice, he had done it. Mark stirred a bit in his sleep.   
Ethan quickly got up and scooted off the cot. He was so flustered. His face practically looked sunburnt. Ethan was about to leave the tent when a hand grabbed his wrist. 

“Where are you going?” Mark looked sleepy but concerned.  
“Uh, I’m just gonna take a leak. I don’t know why you really care though.” Ethan said with maybe a bit more venom in his voice than intended.

Mark looked hurt and let go of his wrist, turning over, mumbling something under his breath.   
Ethan just walked out of the tent.

_It’s not his fault, right? Mark’s an outlaw. How is he supposed to trust him? To be fair, he saved his life back there. He could have just left him in the woods to die, but still. Ethan couldn’t figure out why Mark cared about him so much._

Ethan took a short walk to clear his head. 

Ethan was only walking for about 10 minutes when he tripped. He got distracted looking at the sky and just completely missed the fact he was walking towards a large rock. He fell palms first on the ground. 

“Ow ow!! Shit!” 

He managed to scrape his knees and palms of his hands.  
He was having such a rough day, keeping his feelings inside so he wouldn’t seem weak in front of anyone.   
Ethan started to cry and headed back to camp.   
When he got there Mark was talking to Amy. He seemed anxious. When he saw Ethan, Mark jogged towards him, sighing in relief. Mark saw the blood on Ethan’s palms.

“Are you alright?? What happened? How'd you get hurt??” 

“I, uh, tripped over a rock.” Ethan looked down at his shoes, feeling like a child who got caught stealing a cookie. 

Mark sighed, “Well c'mon we gotta clean those up.” He took Ethan’s hand and led him back to the tent.   
Ethan sat on the cot, still looking at his feet.   
Mark started cleaning his wounds. 

“Y’know, you really scared me when I couldn’t find you, I thought you ran away from camp.”   
“I still don’t see why you care.” Ethan immediately regretted the words that came out of his mouth. 

Mark frowned. “Well… There are a couple of reasons, but one is I feel bad about your parents. I uh, was watching over your house waiting for John to come out. I can’t help but think if I had stepped in earlier your family could still be alive. I’m… I’m sorry, Ethan. You don’t have to forgive me.” 

Ethan could feel his face getting hot. Anger and sadness coursing through his veins. 

“What?! So you’re saying you could’ve saved my family? Oh, but no you had to get your precious supplies right? I don’t know why I expected anything else from a fucking outlaw.”   
Ethan could practically feel the anger radiating off of him. He shook away Mark’s hand that was still cleaning his wound and got up.

Ethan decided to walk to a field he saw on his walk. It was full of flowers and looked calming, which is exactly what he needed right now.

* * *

  
Ethan sat there for a couple hours just thinking and calming himself down. Now that he thought about it, he couldn’t really blame Mark. Mark had to protect himself too. He can’t just risk his life for a family he doesn’t know, and then he’d be left with no supplies for the winter. It just didn’t make sense. 

  
_He needs to stop being a jerk to Mark. Mark’s just trying his best to make it up to Ethan._

  
Ethan sighed, a few tears cling to his cheeks. His eyes were probably red and puffy.   
He felt a hand on his shoulder.   
Ethan jumped, not expecting anyone to find him, but there he was. Mark.   
He sat down next to Ethan, looking intensely at the sky before speaking. 

“Listen, you don’t gotta talk to me. You don’t even have to be around me if you don’t want to, but it’s not safe for you to be here in the woods. I don’t want you to get hurt.” Mark sounded like he was about to cry.

Ethan was already one step ahead of him, balling his eyes out.   
“ ‘M sorry Mark I know it’s not your fault, you gotta watch out for yourself too. It’s not your fault my family died. ‘M sorry I’ve been so mean I just wanna cry all the time but I can’t ‘cause then I’ll look weak.” Ethan blubbered, still rambling about how he’s sorry.   
Mark pulled him into a hug, holding him tight. 

“Shh. There there. You’re okay honey just breathe.”

They sat there for a while, Mark comforting Ethan.

Ethan suddenly spoke up “Did you know it was my birthday when they died? My 23rd birthday. At least I know that’s probably the worst birthday I’ll ever have.” He weakly chuckled. 

“Y’know, I was around your age when my family died. I guess that’s one thing we have in common.” Mark smiled sadly at him.   
“I'm really sorry but thank you for being kind, Mark. You could’ve just let me die in the woods.” Ethan looked into his eyes, a mixture of sadness and hope in them.   
Mark looked away, “No need to thank me. Just because I’m an outlaw doesn’t mean I’m gonna let you die. Next time you wanna take a walk, please bring me with you. I want to make sure you’re safe.” 

“Of course, I’m sorry I said all those mean things back there.” Ethan was ashamed, even though he was angry previously, he kept thinking about how Mark had shown him nothing but kindness. Ethan had been a jerk to him from the start.

_He’s gotta make it up to Mark._

Mark hugged him tighter, “We should probably head back now. I wouldn’t wanna worry anyone.” He stood up and held out his hand for Ethan to grab. Ethan stood up as well, but their hands lingered. 

* * *

  
It was now about 5pm. Time for Dinner. Ethan was very nervous. They all sat in a circle eating some sort of stew. Ethan didn’t know what it was, nor did he really care, he was starving. Everyone was telling stories about their craziest fights and dangerous situations they've been in. Ethan was excited to listen to their stories, practically bouncing on the ground. That’s when it was Mark’s time to speak. 

“Okay so.. These two guys were after me, right? I had stolen some of their loot and they were chasing me up a mountain. I had nowhere to go. The two guys and I ended up in a knife fight. Well at least, they had the knives. I only had my fists. I didn’t know if I was gonna survive this battle. I had already knocked one of the guys out but the other was coming at me fast, knife in hand. He pushed me hard on the ground, my face practically off the edge of the mountain, but I was quick. I kicked him in the nuts and rolled out from under him. He slipped and fell off. That was probably one of the most intense fights I’ve ever had.” Mark crossed his arms and looked at the sky as if he was reminiscing.

  
Everyone clapped and gave him pats on the back. Ethan just sat there in awe. 

  
_Wow, Mark is so cool! Of course, he kicked those guys asses, he’s strong as hell!_

  
Ethan decided to keep these thoughts to himself, Mark’s ego didn’t need to get any bigger.   
Mark seemed so happy. He was smiling widely, laughing, and cracking jokes with everyone. Ethan wished he could look at Mark’s smile forever. Even if that was a little cheesy, not to mention unrealistic.

_Mark probably had a crush on some girl, probably Amy. Even if he didn't, Mark would never like him like that._

Ethan sighed, dinner was about to be over.

It was later that evening and Ethan really wanted to go for a walk, but he didn’t wanna bother Mark. So he just sat on the cot pouting. Mark finally entered the tent and his expression softened once he saw Ethan. “What’s wrong Eth?” 

Ethan blushed at the nickname, “ ‘M just bored… I wanna go on a walk but I don’t wanna bother you.” 

“Awe Ethan you’d never bother me. If you wanna do anything all you gotta do is ask.” Mark smiled warmly. “Now c’mon let's go for a walk.” 

They had been walking for a while now in comfortable silence until Mark spoke.  
“So uh… how was your life before all this?”

Ethan thought about it for a little before answering “Well y’know it wasn’t too bad. Besides the fact I rarely saw my father, I was always fed. Had a roof over my head, stuff like that. Although, it was pretty stressful. I was always expected to grow up and follow my father’s footsteps, get a wife, and settle down.”

Mark looked at him curiously, “You didn’t want to settle down?”

Ethan didn’t want to lie to Mark. He did actually want to settle down someday, maybe. Just not with a girl. So he took a breath before nervously saying “Well… I mean, maybe someday. I’ve just always wanted to explore. Plus, I’m not so keen on getting a wife.” He looked away from Mark, not wanting to see the look of disgust on his face.

Instead, he heard a small chuckle from beside him, “Me neither.” 

“Wait… what?” Ethan was confused. Not only did Mark not freak out, but he also agreed with him.

So does that mean…? 

Ethan was so lost in his thoughts he had almost forgotten he asked a question. 

“Well, I don’t know, I’ve just never really been interested in getting with a lady y’know? I suppose you could say they’re just… not my type.” Mark looked over at him, with a strange look in his eyes. He was looking at Ethan the same way you look at your partner, eyes full of love, and fondness.   
Suddenly everything seemed to fall into place and make sense. The cuddling, the fact that Mark was always worried about him, Mark even going as far as finding and comforting him in the woods. 

Ethan blushed and smiled widely at Mark, giving him a knowing look, “Yeah, I know what you mean.”

They silently walked back to camp, stealing glances at each other while doing so.   
Finally, reaching their tent, Ethan laid down on the cot. Mark followed behind him.   
Ethan was comfortable and warm with Mark’s arms around his waist.   
Before completely falling asleep, he heard Mark mumble something in his ear.

“You’re so adorable.”

  
_Maybe he did have a chance._


End file.
